An early Friday morning, earlier this month, I met with Wilfrido Marcillas and his daughter Camilla, Palm Done Right farmers in Quevedo, Ecuador. It is a joy to be in the field and hear their stories. And it is crucial for understanding their challenges and needs.
A farmer his entire life, Wilfrido has gone through many ups and downs working with different crops. He knows that organic farming, regeneration of land and creating better lives for farming communities is the way to lead positive change.
Wilfrido knows what it means to start from scratch. His parents were first generation farmers in Quevedo when they started growing food crops on their land after the 1940s. After a disease wiped out their cocoa plantation, Wilfrido changed to growing bananas. Banana cultivation requires a lot of attention. It helped Wilfrido develop into a very technical farmer, using both skills and chemical inputs. “During the green revolution everyone believed that machines and chemicals would take over to boost yields”, says Wilfrido. “It did increase yields, but it also created many of the challenges we are facing today.”
